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White & Case SA - The Who's Who Legal 100 2014

In 2013, White & Case strengthened its UK equity capital markets practice with the addition of a partner to its London office. The firm has a strong global capital markets practice and has placed particular emphasis on growing its capability in the UK, having seen a resurgence in UK IPOs over the past year. The firm is looking forward to a productive year for the sector in 2014.

WHITE & CASE

Arbitration

12

Insurance & Reinsurance

1

Asset Recovery

1

Labour & Employment

2

Aviation

13

Life Sciences

1

Banking

15

M&A

3

Capital Markets

11

Mining

1

Competition

9

Private Funds

4

Construction

4

Product Liability Defence

1

Corporate Governance

1

Project Finance

17

Corporate Immigration

1

Public Procurement

3

Corporate Tax

3

Real Estate

5

Energy

8

Telecoms & Media

1

Environment

1

Trade & Customs

7

Information Technology

3

Trademarks

1

Insolvency & Restructuring

2

The firm is continually looking to expand its presence across practice areas in its 40 worldwide offices, in order to ensure it delivers leading cross-border, commercially oriented advice to its clients, which include some of the world’s most well-established banks and businesses, start-up visionaries, governments and state-owned entities. In October 2013, the firm enhanced its project and bank finance practice in sub-Saharan Africa with the hire of two new partners including Joz Coetzer, and two partner redeployments to the firm’s Johannesburg office. White & Case recently advised the lenders on the US$1.2 billion financing of Indorama’s nitrogenous fertiliser complex in Rivers State, Nigeria, demonstrating the firm’s commitment to transactional work in the sub-Saharan Africa region.

KEY FACTS

Total Listings in WWL

134

Established

1901

Home jurisdiction

US

Total size of firm

c.1,900

Number of partners

424

Number of offices

40

PEOPLE AND PRACTICES

White & Case is a recognised leader for project finance with over 200 specialists based in offices around the world. The firm advises on all legal matters related to project structuring and development, financing, government regulation, construction and contract issues across a range of sectors including power generation, oil and gas and infrastructure. Arthur Scavone heads the firm’s energy, infrastructure and project finance group and is described is a “real authority” on international and domestic projects. He represents sponsors, commercial banks, underwriters, export credit agencies, and other agencies in projects involving power plants, renewable energy facilities, transmission lines, pipelines, oil and gas concessions and mines. In Tokyo, the “outstanding” Hendrik Gordenker focuses on energy schemes and transactions involving Japan. He is recognised as a “go-to” lawyer for advice on liquefied natural gas projects and has 20 years’ experience in representing developers, lenders and transports in relation to initiatives in the Atlantic basin and the Middle East. Philip Stopford heads the EMEA energy, infrastructure, project and asset finance group and is based at the London office. Peers compliment his “impressive breadth of knowledge” on all matters pertaining to international project financings, including the drafting of concession agreements, tender documents and finance and security documents. Joining him is Peter Finlay, a “greatly respected” figure in the sector with expertise in joint ventures and financings for clients such as Saudi Aramco, Angel Trains and Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi. In DC, Victor DeSantis acts for sponsors, commercial lenders and export credit agencies on project-financed enterprises and clients describe his cross-border transactional advice as “invaluable”. Xiaoming Li heads the firm’s China practice and has advised on numerous energy and infrastructure projects in the region; sources praise his “wonderful ability to deliver advice that is both technically astute and commercially aware”. Jason Kerr has a “distinguished” practice focusing on project, receivables and trade-related financings in Central Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with emphasis on the oil and gas, power and infrastructure sectors.

White & Case is “highly rated” for its banking practice and advises corporations, banks and sponsors in connection with recapitalisations, leveraged buyouts, restructurings and other financing transactions. The “truly exceptional” Eric Berg heads the firm’s global banking practice, a group consisting of over 230 lawyers across 23 offices. He acts for sponsors, lenders and corporate borrowers in international leveraged finance transactions and regularly leads asset-based financings. Known as an “excellent strategist”, he also advises on the structuring of financings to take into account the legal requirements of the relevant jurisdictions and to maximise tax efficiencies. In Hong Kong, John Hartley heads the Asia banking, capital markets and restructuring practice and is recognised as “one of the region’s foremost banking lawyers”. He is executive partner of the Hong Kong office and acts for various leading financial institutions in debt finance transactions. London-based Lee Cullinane is the section head for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and advises major financial institutions, private equity groups and corporate entities on a range of transactions, restructurings and acquisitions. Former head of White & Case Duane Wall is a “revered” practitioner with experience across numerous areas of banking law. He regularly advises banks and financial institutions on issues arising from the global financial crisis, such as the provisions and implications of the Volcker rule and Dodd-Frank Act. Jacqueline Evans is praised for her “immaculate attention to detail” on the debt capital structure of major leveraged buyouts, and she regularly acts for lenders, borrowers and private equity houses. In New York, Ernest Patrikis is “extensively experienced” in banking and insurance law, having worked in senior positions at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for 30 years.

The firm has a “very active” capital markets practice and a strong presence in key financial centres around the world, with a leading reputation in the area of debt and equity transactions. The “highly distinguished” Stuart Matty heads the firm’s global capital markets practice and is a “world leader” for advice on securities offerings, with a particular focus on debt securities offerings in developing and emerging markets such as Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Joz Coetzer is a “renowned specialist” in international capital markets transactions and has advised numerous investment firms on leveraged and acquisition finance. He recently joined the firm at its Johannesburg office and is a “key player” in the global market. Donald Baker is a “well-reputed” name in the Latin American market, specialising in cross-border offerings of debt and equity securities by Brazilian and other Latin American issuers. The “immensely talented” John Vetterli specialises in structured finance and debt and equity transactions, while David Barwise divides his time between the Singapore and London offices and has a “renowned” structured finance practice covering structured products, securitisations, repackagings and derivatives, emerging markets finance and structured lending.

White & Case specialises in competition law advice and regularly acts in litigation against governmental bodies and private parties. Mark Gidley chairs the global competition practice and focuses on cartel cases and mergers and acquisitions, often with a cross-border emphasis. Clients and peers praise his “superb advocacy skills”, and he represents parties before the FTC and the Antitrust Division in relation to investigations of transnational firms in grand jury investigations, parallel class action suits, civil investigations of pricing and other anti-competitive practices. Ian Forrester QC regularly appears before national courts and competition authorities, the European General Court and the European Commission. He is “very knowledgeable” on all aspects of EU competition law and advises a range of clients including GlaxoSmithKline, Canon, DuPont and the BBC. Mark Powell is the executive partner of the Brussels office and specialises in the interface between competition law and sector-specific regulatory requirements, while Börries Ahrens advises clients on all aspects of EU and German competition law and is an “established authority” on EU merger control cases.

PRO BONO

The firm established a dedicated pro bono practice in 2010 led by Ian Forrester QC which focuses on three areas: access to justice, promoting the rule of law and serving the world’s leading non-governmental organisations. The firm has 108 pro bono leaders in offices around the world, who are involved in initiatives ranging from handling US criminal appeals to assisting the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in developing a global database of human trafficking cases.

LOOKING FORWARD

White & Case is committed to enhancing its capability and offering across its global network in 2014, by growing its presence in established and emerging markets through hiring and retaining US, English and locally qualified specialists with a broad range of domestic and cross-border expertise, who understand the local business environment.

Nominees have been selected based upon comprehensive, independent survey work with both general counsel and private practice lawyers worldwide. Only specialists who have met independent international research criteria are listed.